1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image pickup apparatus for imaging a subject and an image processing method, and in particular, it is suitable for a digital still camera but is not restricted within such device.
2. Prior Art
Recently a digital camera has been developed, in which an image of an object transformed into electric signals by means of imaging elements such as CCD, etc. is converted into digital data (hereinbelow called image data) to be stored in a recording medium, which image can be reproduced according to desire of a user. Such cameras are spreading in a market as image recording/reproducing apparatuses and image inputting apparatuses for personal computers, etc. Further most of them are provided with a display device for displaying an image of an object at imaging and at the same time for displaying a reproduced image at reproduction.
In order to process video image data stored in a digital camera, the video image data is transmitted to an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer, etc., stored therein and the stored video image data is processed with an application program for video image processing.
However, in a case that a video image data is processed with a conventional application program for video image processing, a processing operation but it is very complicated, and for example, it can not be done easily to clip a desired part of a video image and to compose another video image it.
An object of the invention is to an imaging apparatus and a video image processing method suitable for clipping a desired part of a video image, and for composing another video image the clipped video image.
In order to attain the object of the invention, an image pickup apparatus according to the invention which comprises an image pickup means for imaging a subject to output an image and image memory means for storing the image outputted from said image pickup means, and is characterized by employment of pattern memory means for storing at least one pattern, clipped image producing means for clipping a corresponding part of the image stored in said image memory means with the pattern stored in said pattern memory means, and image composing means for composing a desired image the clipped image produced by said clipped image producing means.
Further a image processing method according to the invention comprises a first step clipping a corresponding part of an image with a pattern and a second step composing a desired image the clipped image.
The above apparatus and method of the invention will be explained in detail in the following.
In the following explanation of the present invention following terms between parentheses have following means.
(mask pattern): a pattern used as a mask for processing of cutting-out (extracting) an object image;
(cut-out image): a part of an image cut-out (extracted) from an object image by a mask processing;
(through-image): a monitor moving image of an object displayed on a screen of a display device at imaging;
(stored image): includes an image stored by imaging, an image previously registered, a monochrome image;
an image registered in a memory medium mountable on and dismountable from an imaging apparatus such as an IC card, an ROM, etc.;
(background image): a cut-out image displayed on a display device or a stored image reproduced and displayed on a display device.
An imaging apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a such auxiliary function of processing an image that a part of a taken image is combined with another image to synthesize a new image. The auxiliary function of processing an image includes functions as indicated below in (a) to (h).
(a) an image synthesizing function of cutting-out a part of a taken image by using a mask pattern with another image to synthesize a cut-out image;
(b) a pattern production/registration function of extracting a mask pattern from a through-image displayed on a display device at imaging to register (record) it on a recording medium as the mask pattern;
(c) a cut-out image producting/registering function of combining a mask pattern selected by a user among a plurality of registered mask patterns with another through-image to synthesize a new image at imaging and to display it on a display device and of registering (recording) the synthesized image selected by the user as a cut-out image on a recording medium;
(d) an image sticking synthesizing function of sticking a cut-out image selected by a user among registered cut-out images with another through-image to synthesize a new image at imaging and to display it on a display device and of recording the synthesized image selected by the user on a recording medium;
(e) a pattern production/registration function of extracting a mask pattern from a recorded image recorded on a recording medium at recording to register it on a recording medium as a mask pattern;
(f) a cut-out image producting/registering function of combining a mask pattern selected by a user among a plurality of registered mask patterns with another through-image to synthesize a new image at reproduction and to display it on a display device and of registering (recording) the synthesized image selected by the user on a recording medium;
(g) an image sticking synthesizing function of sticking a cut-out image selected by a user among registered cut-out images with a reproduced stored image to synthesize a new image at reproduction and to display it on a display device and of recording the synthesized image selected by the user on a recording medium; and
(h) a guiding frame displaying function of displaying a guiding frame giving a criterion of magnitude of an image to be taken at imaging.
Further the pattern production/registration function can include further following functions:
(i) a function of detecting/extracting a contour of an image displayed on a display device at imaging or at reproduction to register it as a mask pattern on a recording medium;
(j) a registering function of taking-in distances to a plurality of objects in a through-image to record them together with the image at imaging and designating a distance on a reproduced stored image to extract a mask pattern from an image of objects, which are at a same distance, at reproduction to register it on a recording medium; and
(k) a function of drawing/displaying an image by means of a pointing device such as a cursor or an inputting pen and extracting a mask pattern thereof to register it on a recording medium.
Moreover it can include further following functions:
(l) a preview display function of displaying at a high speed for displaying mask patterns, cut-out images and background images on a display device at selection; and
(m) a function of automatically determining resolution for automatically determining resolution so that recording speed is highest at recording a synthesized image.